隨著五一勞動節來臨,許多人都計畫趁著三天連假外出旅遊,但這次勞動節的出遊可能會面臨交通安排上的選擇和改變,因為台鐵工會已經預告將於五月一日發起不加班的抗爭運動,台鐵也宣布當日將停駛所有列車,今天就讓我們從中央社最初對台鐵罷工事件的英文報導學多益測驗中常考的單字吧!
protest、demonstration 抗議
More than 12,000 Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) employees, including 90 percent of its drivers, have vowed not to work on May 1 to protest the government’s proposal to corporatize the transportation agency.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay / 照片:Pixabay提供
(超過一萬兩千名台鐵員工,包含90%的列車駕駛員已決定將在五月一日當天罷工,以抗議政府將台鐵公司化的提案。)
protest「抗議」可以是動詞或名詞,但要注意動詞的重音在第二音節,名詞則在第一音節。此外,也可用動詞stage 來表達「組織、發起」如stage a protest「舉行抗議」。
A group of people gathered in front of City Hall to protest against the government’s mask mandate.
(一群人聚集在市政府前抗議政府的口罩令。)
除了protest,也可以用demonstration (n)表示「示威、抗議」,protesters/demonstrators代表「抗議者」。
A big crowd of demonstrators was protesting the recent tax increase.
(一群示威者在抗議最近增稅。)
demonstrate (v)是一字多義,除了代表「示威」,在多益測驗中多為「示範」的意思,生活中經常聽到大家說demo,就是demonstration的名詞。
During our training workshop, our instructor will demonstrate how to use a power drill properly and safely.
(在我們的訓練工作坊裡,講師會示範如何適當並安全地使用電鑽。)
以「罷工」形式發起的抗議,經常用strike (n),就是這次台鐵的罷工。新聞報導中罷工的起因是源自於台鐵「公司化」corporatize (v),大家對這個單字一定相當熟悉,因為它的名詞corporation「公司」、形容詞corporate「公司的」經常在多益測驗中出現,但這次加上動詞字尾「-ze」。類似情況的單字還有systemize「系統化」、modernize「現代化」。而和corporatize相反的就是state-owned enterprise、government-owned enterprise「國營企業」。
During the speech, Mr Azar emphasized the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In other words, companies should have a positive influence on the world.
(在他的演講中,阿扎爾強調企業社會責任的重要性,也就是說,公司對世界應該要有正面的影響。)
shift 值班
Based on shift schedules, 1,200 TRA drivers should be working on Labor Day, which falls on a Sunday this year, but fewer than 40 of them might actually show up for work. (根據排班時刻表,週日的五一勞動節應該有一千兩百名台鐵駕駛員上班,但實際上班人數可能不到四十人。)
shift schedule代表「值班表」,shift (n)是一個重要的多義詞,在這裡指的是「一段工作時間;值班」,譬如「晚班」night shift;但在多益測驗中常用做動詞或名詞,代表「改變、轉移」。
What shift do you work tomorrow? The morning one or the afternoon one?
(你明天的班是何時?早上還是下午?)
GenoTech, like other Western companies, is shifting its manufacturing from China to Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam.
(如同其他西方企業,GenoTech也正將其製造業從中國轉移到越南等東南亞國家。)
bill 帳單、草案
台鐵工會對於交通部所提的草案不滿,認為政府未和工會充分溝通,因此希望他們能撤回這項提議。
The union is insisting that the bill be withdrawn from the legislature and replaced with a new version after the ministry and the labor union hold discussions and reach a consensus.
(工會堅持在交通部與工會進行討論並達成共識後,重新撤回草案並以新版送審。)
bill (n)最廣泛熟知的意思是「帳單」,這裡當名詞指「提案」,因此「草案」也可以說是 draft bill,draft (n)「草稿、草稿」,當動詞作「起草(文件、計畫)」。
People have urged lawmakers to pass a bill which would require a longer sentence for drunk drivers.
(人民督促立委通過一項法案,讓酒駕司機判處更長的刑期。)
We’ll have our legal team draft the contract first.
(我們先讓法務團隊起草合約。)
「撤回」法案可以用withdraw (v),如果在銀行的情境,就是代表「提款」,用在戰爭新聞中則是「撤軍」的意思。
Aster, a French retailer, has decided to withdraw from Taiwan market.
(法國零售商Aster決定撤出台灣市場。)
consensus (n)「共識」,常搭配動詞reach 或 achieve 表示「達成共識」。
【多益模擬試題】
1. ________ increasing labor costs, several shoe manufacturers have shifted their production overseas.
(A) Since
(B) However
(C) Therefore
(D) Due to
2. After Ms. Fernandez retires in July, it will be Mr. Johnson’s responsibility to review all ________ contracts.
(A) corporal
(B) cooperate
(C) corporate
(D) corps
【解析】
1. 正解(D)。要選擇符合文法結構的詞,(A)、(B)、(C)都需要搭配句子或子句,只有(D)符合句構和語意「由於勞工成本增加,不少鞋廠將製造移到海外。」
2. 正解(C)。語意為「在Fernandez女士七月退休後,將由Johnson先生負責審核公司合約。」本題是單字題,要選擇適合空格的詞性和字義。(A)身體的、(B)合作、(D)單位;團隊。故(C)為正確答案。
Source: https://www.englishok.com.tw/toeic/toeic-issue/tra-strike
文章由 English OK 授權使用: www.englishok.com.tw
In an effort to fight phone scams, British mobile phone company O2 has introduced Daisy, an AI designed to engage phone con artists in time-wasting conversations. Daisy is portrayed as a kindly British granny, exploiting scammers’ tendency to target the elderly. Her voice, based on a real grandmother’s for authenticity, adds to her credibility in the role. “O2” has distributed several dedicated phone numbers online to direct scammers to Daisy instead of actual customers. When Daisy receives a call, she translates the scammers’ spoken words into text and then responds to them accordingly through a text-to-speech system. Remarkably, Daisy
Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Emma had reviewed 41 resumes that morning. While the ATS screened out 288 unqualified, she screened for AI slop. She could spot it a mile away. She muttered AI buzzwords like curses under her breath. “Team player.” “Results-driven.” “Stakeholder alignment.” “Leveraging core competencies.” Each resume reeked of AI modeling: a cemetery of cliches, tombstones of personality. AI wasn’t just changing hiring. It was draining the humanity from it. Then she found it: a plain PDF cover letter. No template. No design flourishes. The first line read: “I once tried to automate my
Every May 1, Hawaii comes alive with Lei Day, a festival celebrating the rich culture and spirit of the islands. Initiated in 1927 by the poet Don Blanding, Lei Day began as a tribute to the Hawaiian custom of making and wearing leis. The idea was quickly adopted and officially recognized as a holiday in 1929, and leis have since become a symbol of local pride and cultural preservation. In Hawaiian culture, leis are more than decorative garlands made from flowers, shells or feathers. For Hawaiians, giving a lei is as natural as saying “aloha.” It shows love and
1. 他走出門,左右看一下,就過了馬路。 ˇ He walked outside, looked left and right, and crossed the road. χ He walked outside and looked left and right, crossed the road. 註︰並列連接詞 and 在這句中連接三個述語。一般的結構是 x, y, and z。x and y and z 是加強語氣的結構,x and y, z 則不可以。 2. 他們知道自己的弱點以及如何趕上其他競爭者。 ˇ They saw where their weak points lay and how they could catch up with the other competitors. χ They saw where their weak points lay and how to catch up with the other competitors. 註:and 一般連接同等成分,結構相等的單詞、片語或子句。誤句中 and 的前面是子句,後面是不定詞片語,不能用 and 連接,必須把不定詞片語改為子句,and 前後的結構才相等。 3. 她坐上計程車,直接到機場。 ˇ She took a cab, which took her straight to the airport. ˇ She took a cab and it took her straight